UK government caps student loan interest rates at 6%

Exclusive: Former UN climate chief to co-chair Lancet Commission examining how sea-level rise is reshaping health, wellbeing and inequalityCountries are being “held hostage” by their reliance on fossil fuels, a former UN climate chief has warned, describing the health impacts of climate change as “the mother of all injustices”.Christiana Figueres, an international climate negotiator who helped deliver the Paris agreement signed in 2016, made the comments as she was announced on Wednesday as co-chair of a Lancet Commission examining how sea-level rise is reshaping health, wellbeing and inequality. Continue reading...

Man born in El Salvador has been fighting removal to series of ‘third’ countries after mistaken deportation last yearUS government attorneys on Tuesday told a federal judge the Department of Homeland Security still intends to deport Kilmar Ábrego García to Liberia, despite a new agreement with Costa Rica to accept deportees who cannot legally be returned to their home countries.The Salvadoran national’s case has become a focal point in the immigration debate after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador last year. Since his return, he has been fighting a second deportation to a series of African countries proposed by homeland security officials. Continue reading...

Report by the prime minister’s office says a total ban would have a ‘higher net benefit’ but would hit sporting codes very hardFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government’s plans to restrict gambling advertising will reduce Australia’s annual gambling spending by $62.7m a year – or just 0.8% – according to a government report which said a full ad ban would have had “a higher net benefit” but a large burden on media and sporting codes.The report from Anthony Albanese’s Office of Impact Analysis (OIA) also revealed podcasts, app stores and even the NRL and AFL websites will be subject to Labor’s gambling reforms, which ban online wagering ads unless those platforms build an opt-out feature for adults. Continue reading...

Annie Ramos, who came to US from Honduras as a toddler, was detained last week at husband’s base in LouisianaThe wife of a US soldier who was detained last week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at her husband’s Louisiana military base was released from federal custody on Tuesday.“All I have ever wanted is to live with dignity in the country I have called home since I was a baby,” Annie Ramos said in a statement following her release. Continue reading...

Chad Bianco of Riverside county obtained warrants to seize ballots cast for state’s successful redistricting referendumSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA California sheriff’s decision to seize about 650,000 ballots based on specious allegations of fraud has raised considerable alarm bells that similar efforts to undermine confidence in the electoral system could materialize this fall.The episode underscores how sheriffs and other officials can transform shoddy claims about voter fraud into law enforcement actions. Executing a warrant to seize ballots disrupts the chain of custody that is critical to maintaining ballot integrity, and also plants the idea in the public’s mind that a crime has occurred. Continue reading...

Prime minister brings forward trip to Singapore in scramble for petrol supplies; former soldier charged with five war crime murders. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe prime minister has spoken to Chinese premier, Li Qiang, over the phone to discuss energy security, as the government moves to secure fuel supplies with nations across Asia.Anthony Albanese confirmed on Tuesday he would be flying to Singapore this week to lock in fuel imports. Continue reading...

Alarm among military observers after president says ‘whole civilization will die tonight’ if Iran ignores demandsUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailDonald Trump’s Tuesday morning comments threatening that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” in Iran have raised alarms among military observers and retired officers, who called them “likely war crimes”.“I have to hope that this is bluster, and a negotiating tactic on his part,” said retired admiral Michael Smith, who commanded a carrier strike group in the US navy. “He must understand that those types of threats themselves are likely war crimes.” Continue reading...

Markwayne Mullin visits Asheville to survey Hurricane Helene recovery in first big trip since Kristi Noem’s ousterMarkwayne Mullin, the US homeland security secretary, used a visit to Asheville, North Carolina to call for a fundamental shift in the role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), arguing that states and local governments – not the federal agency – should lead disaster response.“We shouldn’t look at Fema as being a first responder, but look at Fema as supporting the first responders you already have,” Mullin told reporters at a roundtable discussion. Continue reading...

Politicians warn party’s pledge to ‘punish’ countries seeking justice for slavery will harm and isolate BritainCommonwealth politicians say they will not back down from seeking reparations as UK public figures, including a former Reform insider, warn the rightwing party’s pledge to “punish” countries seeking justice for slavery would harm and isolate Britain.This week, Reform UK said they would halt visas for nationals of countries formally demanding reparations from Britain if they took power. Continue reading...

Benjamin Torres, son of Valerie Mack, files suit before Rex Heuermann reportedly set to change plea to guiltyThe accused serial killer Rex Heuermann is being sued along with his former wife and their daughter, by the son of one of his alleged victims.Benjamin Torres, the son of Valerie Mack, one the victims charged in the case against Heuermann, claims his mother was “tortured ferociously, and her body dismembered”. Continue reading...

As the US vice-president wades into a heated campaign, Hungary’s leader faces the real possibility of defeatEven before the plane carrying JD and Usha Vance had landed in Budapest, the Hungarian government had hailed their two-day visit as a new golden age in the relationship between Washington and Budapest.What came next was a whirlwind of politics in which the US vice-president waded directly into the country’s heated election campaign, just days before Hungarians cast their ballots. Continue reading...

PM’s most senior civil servant now has task of rewriting civil service code and ‘making it recognised for improved productivity’ Antonia Romeo, Keir Starmer’s most senior civil servant, has been handed a powerful new mandate to deliver his priorities, while Darren Jones, the No 10 chief secretary, has shifted to a less hands-on role.Romeo, who was promoted last month, took over the job of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service after an unsuccessful year in charge by her predecessor Chris Wormald, who was not considered effective enough by No 10. Continue reading...